The forgotten girl
by Belle1613
Summary: When Belle meets Rumplestiltskin she knew her life would never be the same again but when they are tragically torn apart then meet years later, Who's to say what will happen?
1. The intruder

Belle peered out of the large, stained glass window overlooking her kingdom, nervously waiting the arrival of the powerful sorcerer, Rumplestiltskin. Avonlea was a small kingdom, surrounded by acres of foreboding forest and rivers and filled with dark magic. Belle admired the petite village on the horizon and whispered "I promise that you will be safe.."

Today would determine the fate of Avonlea and its people. The Ogre's were fast approaching and King Maurice had no option but to call upon Rumplestiltskin to protect the people and the kingdom from harm. Belle twiddled her fingers anxiously as her father approached her "it will be fine, I'm sure that he will assist in defending us" Maurice stated, trying to reassure himself as much as he was her. His warm, deep voice was a comfort to her and she turned to face him then replied softly "I hope so, it's just that..." Her sentence was interrupted by an intense knocking at the door. Belle brushed down the skirt of her yellow silk dress and assumed the position next to her father as the guards gradually opened the majestic, towering doors to reveal the empty corridor of the castle. Belle scanned the room in an attempt to detect the dark one as a high pitched, nasally voice declared "over here dearies" Belles head spun around and she stared at him in disbelief. His reptilian skin glimmered as the sun shone through the top windows, his eyes could also be compared to that of a reptile, larger than most human eyes with pupils as black as the deepest depths of hell. He was slumped over the arm of Maurice's throne, clearly enjoying the luxury of the red velvet seat. The dark one arose from the chair and strutted around the room "Well, that was a bit of a let down, Mh?" He giggled slightly and leaned against the large table in the centre. "Rumplestiltskin i presume?" Maurice announced. "Yes" he sniggered "I've been called here, something about 'Help! Help! Please save us! We're dying" He smirked smugly. Belle found his tone unpleasant and mildly irritating, but he was no doubt very powerful and appeared to have a certain authority in the room. He continued to say "I can help you..For a price, of course" Another giggle escaped him as he glanced around the room and thought of his price. "We have a lot to offer, If it is riches that you desire then we will be more than open to discuss a suitable amount" Maurice replied coldly for he did not enjoy the company of the sorcerer. "My price...Is her" Rumplestiltskin slowly extended his arm and pointed at Belle.

His words echoed around Belle's mind as if she were in a cave with a thousand people shouting abuse at her. "Never!" Maurice boomed "You can take anything else, but i will not allow you to take my daughter away from me" He forcefully pushed Belle behind him, much against her will. She broke free of his grip and before she had considered the consequences of what she was doing she declared "I will go with you.." "No!" Maurice yelled desperately "Belle please, don't go with this beast, we will find another way." Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes and chirped "this is all very charming but i have places to be so am i taking the girl, or are you all going to die?" He giggled smugly at his ingenious plan. "Its okay papa, i will be fine,we don't have a choice" she glared at rumplestiltskin "deal". Belle cautiously made her way towards the sorcerer, ignoring her fathers shouts of disapproval and pleading. As soon as Belle was stood in front of Rumplestiltskin he poofed out of the castle and they both disappeared into a cloud of dark purple smoke.

Belle found herself stood outside a cell in the dungeon of a castle. "Home sweet home" he sniggered as he abruptly shoved her onto the floor of the cell. He slammed the door shut with an thundering clang then disappeared. The cell had a single window which overlooked the dark one's castle; the windowsill and floor was lathered in a deep green moss. Belle peered around the small space then lowered her head as a tear slid down her cheek. She was still in shock and was slowly beginning to realise the price that she had just paid. "I will never see my father or Avonlea again" she sobbed as she lay down on the bitter, stone floor. As her skin made contact with the stone she felt stings fly up her arms due to the temperature. Belle shivered and curled herself into a tight ball as an attempt to comfort herself. She didn't know when or if Rumplestiltskin would return and lay helplessly on the floor until she eventually fell asleep, the tears still dripping off the end of her nose.


	2. The wardrobe

Time worked differently in the dark castle. Belle was unsure of how long she had been working for Rumplestiltskin; a week, a month, not that it really mattered.

Every day was monotonously repetitive. Belle would wake up at 7:30 and prepare the dark one's breakfast, a collection of meats, pastries and a steaming pot of tea. Rumplestiltskin was very persistent that breakfast was to be served at exactly 8:07; This was a curious time to pick but Belle always obeyed and so at 8:07 she would enter the dining room with the tray, pour his tea then exit the room to begin her duties. Belle would spend the majority of each day cleaning the castle until 8:26 when she would serve Rumplestiltskin his dinner. Once that final task was completed she would read whatever she could find and retire to the dungeon to start the whole dismal cycle again the following day.

Naturally Belle missed her father and the few friends that she had but she had surprised herself by not missing her old life as much as she should; Thats not to say that she was happy being the dark ones maid. Belle drifted through each day, with no true purpose it was easy to forget yourself. The man himself was a mystery. He hid behind the mask of the dark one, behind the sniggers, the harsh comments and high pitched squeal of a voice. She was curious to find out how an ordinary man could become like this. As of yet, Belle hadn't had the chance to have a proper conversation with him that wasn't discussing house duties or food.

The best days were when Rumplestiltskin had to go travelling. In a castle filled with an array of treasures to examine, Belle enjoyed nothing more than peeking into each room and discovering something new that he had brought back from across the seas. Her favourites were currently an enchanted sword which would be able to repel magic and a gauntlet that would lead you to someone's greatest weakness.

Belle had spent many hours with the sword in hand, imagining herself in ruthless combat to defend her kingdom. This would have been very entertaining to watch as she spun around the room, stumbling over her dress and frantically grasping for the table to prevent herself from falling over.

But on this day when the dark one had left Belle went in search of something different. She snuck into the left wing of the castle and begun peeking into each room. After exploring for a while she reached a staircase at the end of a hall. Belle hastily ascended the stairs, grinning cheekily to herself until she reached the top. In front of her stood a petite wooden door which was hanging from its hinges, revealing the room inside. She lit a candle and lifted it to be able to see inside the darkness of the tower. She crept in cautiously, the only sound was the squeaking of her feet on the floorboards and the wind howling ferociously outside. The room was a perfect circle with boxes filled with broken antiques and rags. Opposite the door stood an ancient antique wardrobe. Belle felt herself being drawn towards it and was soon looking up at its doors.

Slowly but determinedly Belle placed her hand on the handle but felt anxious over the contents inside the wardrobe, she told herself to stop being silly and counted down from three "three...two...one" the doors of the wardrobe flung open to reveal an array of clothes. Belle chuckled at herself for her stupidity but frowned when she looked closer. The clothes in question were small, child sized in fact. The dank colours and course material revealed it would have belonged to a child of a very poor background. Belle pondered over who the clothes would have belonged to and what they were doing in the dark ones castle but her thoughts were interrupted with a high pitched announcement "Belle...I'm back" At the sound of her masters voice she jerked into action, running from the room and back to her duties;but she couldn't forget what she had seen, who did those clothes belong to?


	3. Baelfire

It had been several days since Belle's encounter with the wardrobe, she was still curious to discover the owner of the clothes but had not yet devised a plan to achieve this.

As usual, once Belle had served Rumplestiltskin his dinner she went in search for something to read, whether it be a spell book, old story books or legends, she didn't have any preferences. She picked up the book that she was currently reading and sat on the floor in front of the crackling fire. It was the legend of King Arthur and the round table. Belle had read it before but she loved reading about the quests and adventures they endured, wishing that one day she would be able to do something just as heroic.

Belle was so caught up in her book that she didn't notice her master taking a seat besides her. It was only when she felt his nimble fingers brush past her arm that she jumped and her head swung around to look at him "Rumplestiltskin" she mumbled, still in shock "did I forget to do something?" "No no dearie, I just wanted to see what you were doing" he peered at the book in her hands and cocked his head to the side "why do you read so much?" Belle was surprised by his sudden interest in her and her book. Their arms were inches away and she felt herself blush every time he accidentally touched her; "I like to imagine that I'm going on noble quests and having adventures, I've always dreamed of heroism, this is as close as I'm ever going to get." "No" he shook his head. His voice had become calmer, deeper, he was starting to seem more human "you saved your kingdom, sacrificing yourself to the vicious monster" he hung his head slightly as he uttered those words, a look of disgust on his face. "You're not a monster. You think you're uglier than you are that's why you cover all the mirrors up isn't it" she smiled and nudged him slightly and for the first time, a genuine smile spread across the dark ones face but it quickly transformed into a look of regret "I haven't always been like this...there was a son." "A son?" Belle repeated as she thought to herself "that's who the clothes must have belonged to!" He nodded, his gaze into the flames unwavering "his name was baelfire, and I lost him...that's all there is to know." As he spoke his voice cracked with emotion and a single tear slid down his cheek, although he quickly wiped it away. "I'm so sorry" she whispered, following his gaze and trying to think of how she could comfort him further.

Rumplestiltskin shook away his emotions and stood up with a smirk "you should get to bed dearie, there's lots more cleaning to be done tomorrow" with a click of his fingers he had disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Belle looked around, taken aback by his sudden change in emotions then

put her book to once side and walked to the dungeon, her head spinning with everything she had just learned about the dark one. For a second there had been a real man there, she had seen him and was now determined to find him again. "I won't give up on him" she muttered to herself as she feel into a deep sleep


	4. Believe

As the weeks rolled by Belle became increasingly intrigued by the dark one. He had finally begun to open up to her and she felt her fear and misery gradually drift away.

On this particular afternoon however, he was behaving in a rather peculiar manner. When Belle entered to serve him his afternoon tea he paced around the room and she noticed that his hands were shaking as she passed him the tea. His face twitched as he drank and slurped loudly. After contemplating for a second she enquired "are you okay? You seem rather out of sorts.." Rumplestiltskin placed his cup down with a nervous smile and responded "I have something to show you." With that said he walked out of the room and ushered Belle to follow him.

The pair of them headed for the west wing of the castle, which Belle had been forbidden from entering previously, and began ascending an immense winding staircase. As she watched the dark one strutting eagerly up the stairs in front of her, she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

After several minutes of climbing they approached the door at the top of the stairs. Rumplestiltskin gently pushed the door open and lead Belle into the room. It had stacks of shelves filled with thousands of books from ceiling to floor covering every inch of wall. "Temper your excitement dearie" he chirped "this is just another room for you to clean." Her eyes darted around the room in delight "there are more books here than I could read in a lifetime" she picked up a large book that was lying on the table and delicately stroked the spine, taking in every detail of its design. Her eyes then lifted to settle on Rumplestiltskin "did you do all this for me?" She smiled boldly at him as he struggled to find a reply and before he was aware of what was happening Belle threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, the book still in one hand, "thank you." The dark one looked puzzled, unsure of how to react to her embrace but dutifully patted her on the back before breaking the hug and stepping away from her.

Belle smiled at him softly and sat down on the floor, patting the spot besides her, inviting him to join. Rumplestiltskin obeyed, hesitantly sitting down and crossing his legs before looking up at her to see what she has planned. Her sapphire eyes glittered in the candlelight and seemed to have tripled in size as he watched her, both physically and mentally unable to break eye contact. They perfectly matched the shade of blue on her dress which complemented her further. She was a vision of perfection and beauty, her innocence and purity was dominant in that moment.

Belle started flicking through the book, running her fingertips over the pages before stopping on page 68. It was one of the first chapters in the book, chapter 3 in fact. The dark one looked at her in a confused manner "why aren't we starting at the beginning?" She replied quickly, her voice gentle and quiet "Because this is the best part, this is where they leave their pasts behind them and fall in love." As Rumplestiltskin heard her say that last word he felt very strange, as if he had suddenly been awoken after a long slumber, he felt his heart rate quicken and he watched her lips move as she began to read aloud.

As she read a small strand of hair fell in front of her face and before Belle could reach it Rumplestiltskin reached and tucked it behind her ear. With his fingers still lingering on her cheek, they sat in silence for a moment, their eyes locked together. Neither of them looked away. It felt like they had been sat there for decades, just lost in time because it didn't matter as long as they were together. Belle started moving her face towards his slowly, her neck reaching in order to manoeuvre herself closer to him. However when the dark one realised what she was doing he jumped up from the floor, sending a pile of books flying as he muttered "I'm sorry" and then he was gone. Belle sat there for a while longer before going to bed but she couldn't sleep that night, the thoughts of Rumplestiltskin racing through her mind; little did she know that he was upstairs thinking of her, unsure with what to do with his feelings.


	5. True loves kiss

Belle was woken up abruptly the next morning with the sound of the dungeon door being heaved open. It was her master. She rubbed her eyes and hastily stood up before saying "I'm sorry...did I oversleep?" "Oh no I just have a special job for you today" he replied, she was sure there was a hint of sadness into his voice as he continued "go to town and fetch me some straw." "You trust me to come back?" She said softly, frowning and confused. His voice deepened and his accent became clear as he responded "no.. I expect I will never see you again." Finally Belle understood, he was setting her free. She took a basket and her cloak and set off, not looking back at the castle or the dark one.

As Rumplestiltskin watched her walk away his heart was filled with sadness and regret but he knew he had done the right thing; it wasn't fair to keep her locked away, she needed to go and fulfil her dreams. He attempted to distract himself by creating new spells but it was no use, he threw his concoction against the wall and punched the table repeatedly, shouting in anger and distress. He knew that he was now destined to be alone forever, for who could ever love a beast?

Belle had been walking away from the castle for several hours when she had encountered the queen, Regina. Regina had told her that if she kissed the dark one his curse would be broken and he would be able to live the rest of his live as an ordinary man. As soon as Belle had learned this she ran back to the castle as fast as she could, desperately exited to see if it would work and if they were meant to be together.


	6. The man behind the beast

When the dark one heard someone running up the front path to his castle he was fully intent on killing whoever it was until he saw that it was Belle. He gasped and ran down the stairs to meet her when she came in.

By the time Belle had walked into the main room Rumplestiltskin was sat at his spinning wheel, pretending that he had been there the entire time. When she walked in he acknowledged her and remarked "back so soon..I thought you would be longer." She chuckled and shook her head before assuming the seat next to him "come on, you're happy I'm back." "I'm not unhappy" he smirked before turning his attention back to the wheel. Belle gently placed her hands on top of his and very softly said "rumple ..." his eyes once again connected with hers, his mouth dropped open slightly as he heard her call him that. His body was pushing him towards her and she placed a delicate kiss upon his lips.

It was so sweet, so perfect, the pair of them sat in front of his wheel, hands touching, faces inches apart; "it's working!" She whispered exitedly and grinned "true loves kiss can break any curse" "what!" He shouted, shaking his head as the skin returned to the sparkly gold shade. He grabbed her shoulders and hauled her up "who told you that?!" She was shocked and horrified by his reaction and couldn't put together a sentence, just muttered something about Regina. With this his face turned to fury and he gripped her tightly, shaking her whole body "you've been working for her! You were sent in to try and trick the beast, to destroy me!" "No! Please...why won't you believe me?!" She begged, the tears beginning to fall down her cheeks; at this point the dark one moved his face very close to hers and yelled "because no one, no one can ever love me!!" With that he grabbed Belle behind her neck, threw her into the dungeon and locked the door.

Two days later Belle was sat on the floor of her cell when she appeared outside the castle with a note in her hands that read 'I don't want you anymore dearie. Go now and never return.' she read it quickly and ran from the castle, heading back home to her kingdom.


	7. The Tower

Once Belle had fled from sight of the castle she stopped to catch her breath. She leant up against a tree and breathed deeply while she consulted her map to the dock to get her back home. She was so engrossed in her map reading that she didn't notice a figure approaching her from the distance, it was only when they were stood directly in front of her that belle looked up. "Hello dear" Regina sneered "how did it go with Rumple?" Belle stood, glued to the spot, unable to speak with her mouth trying to form words. After several attempts she finally managed to say "you knew how he would react, you knew that he would throw me out!" With every word Belles anger grew, her face screwed up in fury, eyes flashing fiercely. "Yes...i did" Regina smirked, she was surprised by the girls bravery and continued to say "i needed you two apart...love is a weapon and Rumple will do anything to protect you so its useful if i had something to hold against him." As soon as Regina had uttered that final word Belle became aware of what was going on, she tried to run but it was too late, a guard appeared behind her and threw a sack over her head and everything went dark...

Belle hadn't been a free woman for long, barely an hour in fact. As soon as she had left The dark one's castle she was kidnapped by The Queen and dumped in a tower as a pawn against Rumplestiltskin. This type of solitary confinement was horrendous enough to drive anyone insane. She kept a Tally as the days went past, it started in a small gap by her bed but as the months passed soon the entire wall was coated in white chalk. With nothing to do all day every day Belle sat with her head in her hands, rethinking every detail of her life and what she could have done differently, her favourite topic was overlooking her time in the dark castle and all of the different objects that she discovered.

The only human contact that Belle endured was with the guard who brought her food every day and Regina; this was never a good sign. If The Queen payed a visit to the tower it would only be to torture her, either mentally or physically; she wouldn't stop until Belle was begging for death, to be relieved from this fate of being trapped staring at the same stone walls every day for the rest of her miserable existence. After having been in the tower for months on end, the idea of suicide became increasingly tempting to her, after all, if she was to spend the rest of her days in this room, awaiting her next visit from Regina, still healing the scars and bruises from the last deadly encounter; why couldn't it just end? Why couldn't the pain ever be over?

But this day was different. Belle woke up and looked out of her tiny window to see the fog coating all the earth below her, not much of a view. She sat down in the middle of the floor and softly hummed one of her favourite songs, the melody was comforting and familiar, Rumplestiltskin had played it most days in his castle and she had often heard him humming along to it; she could almost hear his voice now, she closed her eyes and imagined being back there with him when she heard the door open...

Her head swung around to see who it was, fearing it was Regina but was surprised to see a new face. He had dark hair with thick stubble and a hook instead of a hand. Belle had heard stories of the pirate, killian jones but this was the first time she had ever set eyes on him herself. She stood up and watched as he walked towards her and held his hand out to her, which she politely shook. He looked straight into her eyes and smirked before stating "so you're the girl the crocodile held captive are you?... I can see why he chose you...so pretty" his voice was very deep and course, it was also blatantly obvious that he was drunk; he used his hook to run along her neckline but she slapped his arm before he could get any lower "what do you want?" She could hear the fear in her own voice as it shook and squeaked. "Information" he remarked "you spent more time with the dark one than anyone, I need to know how to kill him." "I have no idea how to hurt him and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!" She shouted and tried to push past him but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her uncomfortably close to him "I see you are going to need some persuading...but don't worry, if you tell me quickly you won't get hurt...much" with that said he pushed Belle to the ground so she was lying on her back with him on top of her as he chuckled and said "time to start talking love"


	8. Blood stained hook

Belle squirmed beneath him but he used his one good hand to grab her chin and hold her still "tell me what you know!" He yelled in her face, his spit landing on the end of her nose "never!" She replied, determined to stay strong for Rumple because she loved him and was willing to suffer for him. Seeing this, Hook realised that he would need to go further to make her surrender information. He reached for the blade in his pocket and admired as the light reflected off it, he used it to flick the hair off her shoulder then slowly used the blunt side to run it along her collarbone. He placed the blade on her forearm and gradually cut through the skin down to her wrist, watching as the blood slipped down either side of her arm onto the wooden floor. Belle stayed silent, this only infuriated hook, he used the blade to trace around her lips then laughed as the blood trickled down her chin and around her mouth, belle could taste it now, the bitter flavour made her want to gag but she gritted her teeth and remained strong, her bottom lip trembling in fear of what he would do next.

He took his hook and dipped it into the deep cut on her arm which made belle scream loudly, the feeling of the cold metal on her broken skin was unbearable. A satisfied smile spread across his face "now we are getting somewhere." "No we're not" belle responded and kicked his leg then scrambled to her feet and tried to escape from the room but when she attempted to open the door she realised it was locked, she was trapped in here with him. He walked up to her and punched her across the face.

Belle woke up startled, she had been knocked out with his punch. She had been blindfolded and tied to a wooden pole. Belle could hear him breathing, he was close. Her breathing sped up in fear but she felt conscious as her chest rose and fell and tried to limit her heavy breathing, this only made matters worse. She felt his hook trace over the top of her breasts and gasped "don't touch me!" He chuckled and moved closer to her until she could feel his breath on her face and the foul stench of rum "you are a feisty one aren't you" he remarked "are you ready for what comes next?" Belle didn't answer. She heard him swiping something then smelt the dank darkness of smoke, she knew what was coming. Hook brought the match inches away from her face, teasing her, she could feel the sweat dripping down her forehead in response to the fiery heat, her body shaking uncontrollably with terror. He touched the top of her thigh with the match and continued to burn down her leg at regular intervals; belle screamed in agony, her entire body felt like it was aflame, burning and stinging, unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. The tears streamed down her face as she yelled, begging to be released from this never ending pain. She lost all control of her body, her limbs were shaking and flying in different directions, her neck was tilted upwards as she gasped and preyed for relief, she could hear her heartbeat pounding in chest, as she screamed "please!...make it stop!...make this noise end!" Belle had lost all her self control, all her dignity, what did she have left?

Hook wasn't ready to give up yet, he untied her blindfold and dragged her to her feet by her hair. She couldn't stand up as one leg remained in excruciating pain. She wasn't given the chance to look at her injuries as she was face to face with him, unable to see clearly through the thick film of tears, the only noise in the room were her own screams. He pushed her up against the wall and punched her repeatedly, each hit leaving a dirty purple mark on her pale skin. By this time belle had felt herself go numb, she was in such unbearable agony that her body had become distorted and unable to function. This wasn't living. "I'm giving you one last chance" he snarled "tell me what you know about the crocodile!" Belle shook her head defiantly. Hook threw her to the floor and violently kicked her stomach multiple times, with each kick she released an outcry, no longer of pain but of desperation to be free. "Kill me" she whispered, she repeated this with more power every time until she was screaming it at the top of her lungs. Hook was on top of her, his hand forced against her neck. Belle gasped for her last breath of air as she felt her body go limp, the pain was fading away now, rumple was safe, that was enough for her. She closed her eyes and exhaled for the final time...she was gone.

Hook stood up and observed her corpse; her face was now a pale shade of blue with blood and tear stains coating the majority of it. Belles arms were bruised and bleeding from where she had been cut, her legs burned and bruised. The girl was completely broken. He contemplated why she would sacrifice herself to save the crocodile then left the tower, cleaning the blood from his hook as he did. "Useless" he muttered to himself as he walked away


	9. Two lives, one heart

Back in the dark castle, rumplestiltskin was struggling. Without belle he felt more isolated than ever before. He spend the majority of his days at his spinning wheel, attempting to forget everything he had lost, but nothing worked. Weeks passed, he had tried to track belle with no success, this was a loss that he couldn't overcome. It drove him to the brink of inanity until one day, he was so deeply lost in his sorrow that he took a potion to forget her. He would only be able to remember her once he set eyes upon her again but he knew this would never happen. Once he had taken the potion he was happier. He returned to his usual self, making deals and fighting fellow villains and heroes.

Meanwhile belle was in the underworld. Saying she was unhappy was an understatement. She was miserable, trapped down there, unaware of what her unfinished business was. She had no friends and spent every day alone, either reading about magic or walking. She had missed going on long walks while she was trapped in the tower. But it wasn't living. She longed to return to the real world although she knew that was an impossibility. The weeks turned into months and her boredom gradually turned into depression, knowing this was her fate for eternity.


End file.
